ROCHELLE — Two kindergarten students at Lincoln Elementary School were found safe and released to the care of their parents shortly after being missing Friday afternoon upon not returning to their assigned classrooms after lunch recess, a Rochelle Elementary School District 231 release to parents said Friday.

“Immediately, the Lincoln School administration and staff initiated our protocol for missing children,” the release said. “As part of this process, the Rochelle Police Department, Rochelle Fire Department, and first responders were called to the school to assist in locating the two missing children. An additional step taken was to place Lincoln School on a hold which called for students to continue to learn within their classrooms. After an internal and external search of the building, both students were located together and reunited with their family.”

Responding organizations also included the Ogle County Sheriff’s Office, Ogle-Lee Fire Protection District and the City of Rochelle Street Department, an RPD press release said.

In the D231 press release, District Superintendent Jason Harper said the district takes every student’s safety seriously and as a result of the Friday incident the district will review and improve upon its internal procedures when students are transitioning between classes, lunch and recess.

In a separate and unrelated release sent to parents Friday morning, Harper notified parents after the district was made aware of a suspicious vehicle that was seen around other Ogle County districts including Kings and Creston on Thursday.

“In working with law enforcement officials, a more complete description of the vehicle became available,” Harper said. “Please be on the look-out for a Black Audi sedan with silver wheels and a partial license plate of FLB. The person in the car was allegedly taking pictures with a telescopic lens.  Please be particularly vigilant this morning and remind children to stay alert, travel in groups, to not approach strangers, and to report any suspicious incidents. Additionally, the more students stay off of their phones and stay alert, the more likely they are to see potential danger.”

The Rochelle Police Department and Ogle County Sheriff’s Office upped patrols around area schools on Friday.

“As you saw in my communication earlier today, we live in a dangerous time and we recognize the need to continue to stay focused on student and staff safety,” Harper’s Friday afternoon release said. “As you feel comfortable with your child(ren), please continue to promote how best to stay safe.”